◇Fighting Fate◇ : Kougami Shinya x [Reader] : Psycho Pass

Chapter 10

A long sigh breezed out of his mouth as he entered his humble abode. "I'm home," he droned the same phrase he stated every time he returned from a long day. However this time, the usual response of his mother wasn't what he heard.

"Welcome home, Shinya!"

He was in the process of removing his shoes when he stopped at the sound of a young female. When it finally registered that you were currently in his home, he hastily threw off his shoes and traveled down the narrow hallway and into the living room. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see my best friend," [Name] answered with a grin. "Tomoyo and I are going to spend the whole evening together!"

Right on cue, the middle-aged woman waltzed into the living room with a pot of food and placed it on the table. "I already have the cookies baking."

Kougami stood there speechless. He never had much to say, but this situation took the words right out of him. 

His bewildered expression had [Name] in a fit of giggles, and she tried to insert some reason into her being there. "Don't worry, Shinya. I'm also here to see you!" She scooted over on the sofa and offered him a spot beside her.

He hesitated before setting himself down. His arm brushed against hers, and when he tensed at the physical contact, she noticed. Her arm reached over to cling to his arm, bringing him closer to her body. It was a lighthearted gesture which calmed his nerves and brought a smile to his features, "You are so small."

"I'm normal. You're too tall. Tomoyo, what are you feeding your son?" [Name] feigned disgust, but she couldn't keep up the facade for long as she broke into a smile.

He returned the smile and lightly flicked her forehead. "You idiot."

"You mean 'single idiot'," his mother added in a not-so-subtle way. Her eyebrows wiggled suggestively, and she elbowed his ribs to push him closer to her-- in an embarrassing manner if he might add!

He sputtered out nonsense as he distanced himself from his mother, but it only made him push against the girl more. "Oh wow, you're quick to act on a single girl!" [Name] joked  a faint blush dusted her cheeks.

"My son does move quickly!"

He ignored their embarrassing banter, and a few questions arose at the thought of her being single. "What happened to Gino?"

"Well, we were kind of on a trial, so we weren't official," she admitted, "we ended it today while he was ignoring me again. Don't worry, it wasn't awkward. We're still friends."

"That's good to know," he sighed with relief.

"That I'm single or that I'm still friends with Gino?"

"T-That you're friends with Gino!"

His outburst made her and his mother laugh. "Shinya is too adorable." They said in unison

Whatever everlasting relationship was brewing between these two, he didn't want to be a part of.

x-x-x-x-x

{1 Year Later}

Her eyes remained on the stone floor, legs dangling from the bench as she waited. The brisk spring air blew against her hair locks, ruining her styled hair but she didn't bother fixing it. Her thoughts were deep into her future, thinking about the opportunities that have risen. One wrong choice could lead to her demise in this society, even though the paths given by the Sibyl system were appropriately chosen for her.

She could be a teacher. She could be an inspector. She could be an author. That's it. She hadn't scored as high as Kougami or Gino, but she did score sixth in the entire class. She could have scored better but she was exhausted from playing video games all night with Luna.

Luna. Her childhood friend was given the job as a model just like her mother. She was somewhat saddened by her only choice, but she sucked it up and chose her career. She had to pack her bags and leave to train for her modeling career. She already had her life in order unlike [Name], who was in the midst of deciding.

Today was the deadline and she needed to decide. Her fear, above all else, was to be alone. She always had Luna around, but now she also had Gino and Shinya. The two were heading towards the Inspector route which she knew they both deserved. She just wondered if she wanted to be an Inspector for the same reason as they did. Her mind buzzed with worry, so much that she hadn't noticed someone sit beside her.

"It's been three years."

She snapped her head to the side and her eyes landed on Saiga. "Oh! Yeah, it has been a nice three years."

"I know you don't mean it," he chuckled, "but they were interesting years."

"That they were. So why am I being graced by your presence?"

Saiga exhaled loudly as he leaned back into the bench, making himself comfortable. "I still haven't heard about your decision."

"Because I don't know what to do. All these years, I went to school to absorb some knowledge without a care in the world about my future." She let out a bitter groan, "I don't exactly have a wide range of choices, seeing how the Sibyl system chose what was perfect for me."

"Well, usually the system is always right. It's just up to you to take advantage of the situation. Didn't you tell me during the first year how you worried for Shinya?"

"You still remember?"

"I do. It was quite interesting how you were in tears and I can see that you still want to protect him," Saiga snickered, "You know I thought you two were the perfect couple."

"How many times have I told you that we aren't---"

"I know. It's just that you two are so similar yet so different. The separation will be hard on the both of you if you decide another career."

"So I should become an inspector?"

"Why are you so doubtful about becoming one?" Saiga questioned. "Your Psycho-Pass is stable, near impenetrable. You have a strong stomach, and you know the clear difference between right and wrong. You harbor a strong sense of protective--"

"I get it, I get it. I just want to be sure this is what I want. I can't just go in because I want to be around friends."

"Kougami said he first wanted to be an Inspector because Gino was becoming one," Saiga explained, "but he then noticed his strong sense of justice and how he felt it was his calling to protect people."

"Woah, that's embarrassing for him to admit."

"He couldn't look me in the eye when he said that."

She laughed loudly, holding her stomach as she began to cry from laughter. The bystanders who walked past them stared at her weirdly due to her rambunctiousness. She didn't care, though Saiga scratched his head as he found the unwanted stares embarrassing. "Keep it down."

"Why is she laughing like that?" A familiar voice questioned.

"Well, if it isn't our hero and savior!!" she exclaimed in between giggles.

Kougami's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What?"

It took a few minutes for her to recover, and when she did, she gazed at the confused Kougami. "Shinya, I've finally decided."

"You did?"

'I'm going to protect you,' she thought as she grinned at him. "Inspector [Name] sounds pretty catchy to me~"